Theft-proofing device for billfold



Oct. 10,1967 v GJWOOLF 3,34 ,030]

THEFT-PHOOFING DEVICE FOR BILLFOLD Filed May 9, 1966 INVENTQR.

620/965 FI/YJOLF;

United States Patent Office 3,345,030 Patented Get. 10, 1967 3,346,030 THEFT-PROOEING DEVICE FOR BILLFOLD George Woolf, 501 Waller St., San Francisco, Calif. 94117 Filed May 9, 1966, Ser. No. 548,589 3 Claims. (Cl. 150-47) My present invention relates to pocketbooks and more particularly to a device for rendering pocketbooks of the billfold type safe against pickpockets and/or accidental loss.

An object of the invention is to provide a device which, when applied to a billfold, will operate to establish a firm seating of a billfold in the pocket of a user and thus hold against theft or inadvertent loss.

Another object of the invention is to provide a simple and inexpensive device which can be applied to billfolds of the type having opposed card holding pockets which will render the billfold safe against pickpockets when in the pocket of a user Without materially interfering with the normal use of the billfold.

A further object of the invention is to provide a novel safety device for billfolds which can be easily inserted and used with billfolds of the center folding type having opposed pockets for cards and the like.

Other objects and advantages will be in part evident to those skilled in the art and in part pointed out hereinafter in the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing wherein there is shown by way of illustration and not of limitation a preferred embodiment of the invention.

In the drawing:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view showing a conventional billfold with my invention applied thereto,

FIGURE 2 is an assembled view of my improved safety device,

FIGURE 3 is a sectional view taken along lines 33 of FIGURE 2, and

FIGURE 4 is a fragmentary view showing a further detail of construction.

In the accompanying drawing, the numeral designates generally a billfold of the type having accommodations for folding money and also pockets 11 for cards and other articles such as are carried in this manner. Intermediate its ends the billfold 10 has a fold line 12 so that the two halves thereof can be folded over into contact with each other. In this fashion, the billfold 10 is generally inserted in the pocket of a user, which, in most instances, is the hip pocket, where it is easily accessible to pickpockets and/ or loss. As here shown, my invention consists of a spring wire unit which, as shown in FIGURE 2, is in the form of a flat plate-like member 13 having rolled sides that form cylindrical portions 14 into which ends 15 of an outwardly biasing spring means with the spaced ends 15 which are connected together by angularly upstanding side portions 16 and a connecting portion 17 that will normally extend parallel with the fold line 12 of the billfold 10. When the device is inserted in one of the pockets 11 of the billfold as shown in FIGURE 1, it will exert a bias upon the overlapping portion of the billfold which will expand the billfold when in the pocket of the user and establish a more or less tight fit between the pocketbook and the pocket and thus make difficult an easy removal thereof. With a user, who will be aware of th bias feature, this difiiculty is over-come by pressing the folds of the pocketbook together.

As indicated in FIGURES 2 and 3, the ends 15 of the device are positioned in the tubular sides 14 of the platelike member 13 and are adjustable to position the spring means in proper relation with the fold line 12 of the billfold. To lock the biasing member into a neutral position, the plate 13 is also shown as having upstanding lugs 18 under which the portion 17 of the biasing member may be positioned when the device is not to be used.

In FIGURE 4 there is shown a modification in which the cylindrical portions 14 of the plate-like member 13 are provided with spaced recesses or openings 19 and the parallel end portions 15 of the biasing member are shown as turned outwardly so that the biasing member may be fixed a number of definite positions by engagement with the holes or recesses of the plate-like member 13.

While I have, for the sake of clearness and in order to disclose my invention so that the same can be readily understood, described and illustrated a specific form and arrangement, I desire to have it understood that this invention is not limited to the specific form disclosed, but may be embodied in other ways that will suggest themselves to persons skilled in the art. It is believed that this invention is new and all such changes as come within the scope of the appended claims are to be considered as part of this invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A theft-preventing device for pocketbooks of the billfold type having oppositely disposed pockets at each side of a central fold, a combination of a plate member having dimensions permitting its insertion into a pocket at one side of the fold line of the pocketbook, and a member of spring wire having spaced parallel ends mounted along the sides of said plate and extending upwardly at an angle from the plane of said plate member with a connecting portion extending parallel with the fold line of the billfold, adapted and arranged to bias the sides of the pocketbook into an open position when removed from the pocket of a wearer.

2. The invention as set forth in claim 1, characterized by the fact that the spaced parallel ends of said member of spring wire are slidably secured to said plate member.

3. The invention as set forth in claim 1, characterized by the fact that said plate member has cylindrical portions along each side with spaced indentations, and the parallel ends of said member of spring wire have indentation engaging extensions, whereby said plate member and said member of spring wire may be firmly held in different positions in relation to each other.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,564,570 8/1951 Hatfield 15 0-47 X FOREIGN PATENTS 536,313 1/1957 Canada.

FRANKLIN T. GARRETT, Primary Examiner. 

1. A THEFT-PREVENTING DEVICE FOR POCKETBOOKS OF THE BILLFORD TYPE HAVING OPPOSITELY DISPOSED POCKETS AT EACH SIDE OF A CENTRAL FOLD, A COMBINATION OF A PLATE MEMBER HAVING DIMENSIONS PERMITTING ITS INSERTION INTO A POCKET AT ONE SIDE OF THE FOLD LINE OF THE POCKETBOOK, AND A MEMBER OF SPRING WIRE HAVING SPACED PARALLEL END MOUNTED ALONG THE SIDES OF SAID PLATE AND EXTENDING UPWARDLY AT AN ANGLE FROM THE PLANE OF SAID PLATE MEMBER WITH A CONNECTING PORTION EXTENDING PARALLEL WITH THE FOLD LINE OF THE BILLFORD, ADAPTED AND ARRANGED TO BIAS THE SIDES OF THE POCKETBOOK INTO AN OPEN POSITION WHEN REMOVED FROM THE POCKET OF A WEARER. 